Method and system for accounting item sold by weight

• US 7,837,103 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Frontech Limited (Fujitsu Limited), Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Suto, Atsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US11/475,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20070210154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 235/378, 235/381, 235/383, 235/385, 705/400, 705/416, 705/414, 705/23, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/414 using electronic computing means only
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A system for accounting an item sold by weight according to the present invention detects the weight of the item sold by weight taken in a package, calculates the sales price for the item sold by weight taken in the package based on the detected weight, and writes information on the detected weight and information on the calculated sales price in a recording unit provided on a tray for holding the package and from which data can be read and in which data can be written. Then, the system checks whether an unjust purchase is done for the item sold by weight before the system makes accounts square for the item sold by weight or before the system starts selling the item sold by weight by measuring the weight of the tray and checking whether the weight of the tray identified by the recorded information of the recording unit and the measured weight match or not.

Claims

1. A method for selling an item to be sold by weight executed in a system having a control apparatus set on each item-selling space, an accounting apparatus set on a check-out space and using a tray having a recording unit from which data is read and in which data is written, the method comprising:

a step for a first weight-measuring device included in the control apparatus of measuring a weight of an item displayed for sale in an item-selling space;

a step for the control apparatus of holding the weight measured by the first weight-measuring device,

detecting whether the measured weight of the displayed item is changed from the weight held prior to the measuring,

holding the weight difference between the measured weight and the held weight, and

presenting a notice of measuring a tray;

a step for a second weight-measuring device included in the control apparatus of measuring a weight of a tray on which the item placed within a package is placed when the notice is presented;

a step for the control apparatus of calculating a weight of the item placed within the package on the tray based on predetermined weights of the package and the tray,

determining whether the weight of the item placed within the package equals the weight difference,

calculating a sales price of the item placed within the package based on the measured weight of the item placed within the package and a predetermined unit price of the item,

writing the measured weight and the calculated sales price in the recording unit of the tray holding the package;

a step for a third weight-measuring device included in the accounting apparatus of measuring a weight of the tray holding the package;

a step for the accounting apparatus of calculating a weight of the item placed within the package based on the predetermined weights of the package and the tray,

reading the weight from the recording unit,

determining whether the measured weight of the item placed within the package equals the read weight,

reading the sales price from the recording unit, and

checking out the item on the tray according to the read sales price.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step for the second weight-measuring device of measuring a weight of the tray including the package which is placed on the tray at a first time when the tray is placed on the second weight-measuring device; and

a step for the control apparatus of writing the measured weight of the tray in the recording unit of the tray holding the package,

wherein, in the step of calculating the weight of the item place within the package, the accounting apparatus calculates a weight of the item placed within the package by reducing the weight of the tray and the package read from the recording unit from the weight of the tray holding the package.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the item to be sold by weight is countable, the control apparatus stores an average weight per piece of the item, calculates a number of pieces included in the item placed within the package based on the average weight per piece of the item and the calculated weight of the item placed within the package on the tray, and calculates a sales price of the item placed within the package based on the calculated number of pieces of the item.

4. A method for selling an item to be sold by weight executed in a system having a control apparatus set on each item-selling space, an accounting apparatus set on a check-out space and using a tray having a recording unit from which data is read and in which data is written, the method comprising:

a step for a first weight-measuring device included in the control apparatus of measuring a weight of an item displayed for sale in an item-selling space;

a step for the control apparatus of holding the weight measured by the first weight-measuring device,

detecting whether the measured weight of the displayed item is changed from the weight held prior to the measuring,

holding the weight difference between the measured weight and the held weight, and

presenting a notice of measuring a tray;

a step for a second weight-measuring device included in the control apparatus of measuring a weight of a tray on which the item placed within a package is placed when the notice is presented;

a step for the control apparatus of calculating a weight of the item placed within the package on the tray based on predetermined weights of the package and the tray,

determining whether the weight of the item placed within the package equals the weight difference,

writing the measured weight in the recording unit of the tray holding the package;

a step for a third weight-measuring device included in the accounting apparatus of measuring a weight of the tray holding the package;

a step for the accounting apparatus of calculating a weight of the item placed within the package based on the predetermined weights of the package and the tray,

reading the weight from the recording unit,

determining whether the measured weight of the item placed within the package equals the read weight,

calculating a sales price of the item placed within the package based on the read weight of the item placed within the package and a predetermined unit price of the item, and

checking out the item on the tray according to the read sales price.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

a step for the second weight-measuring device of measuring a weight of the tray including the package which is placed on the tray at a first time when the tray is placed on the second weight-measuring device; and

a step for the control apparatus of writing the measured weight of the tray in the recording unit of the tray holding the package,

wherein, in the step of calculating the weight of the item placed within the package, the accounting apparatus calculates a weight of the item placed within the package by reducing the weight of the tray and the package read from the recording unit from the weight of the tray holding the package.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein, when the item to be sold by weight is countable, the accounting apparatus stores an average weight per piece of the item, calculates a number of pieces included in the item placed within the package based on the average weight per piece of the item and the weight of the item placed within the package read from the recording unit, and calculates a sales price of the item placed within the package based on the calculated number of pieces of the item.